Omega Ruby: Burning Hearts of Love
by HeroxPartnerfan96
Summary: When she arrives in Hoenn and starts her first Pokemon adventure, May isn't sure what to expect. Little does she realise that this adventure will turn out to be unlike anything she imagined… Based on my playthrough of Omega Ruby


**Omega Ruby: Burning Hearts of Love**

 **Chapter 1: Stepping Into A New Home**

If there was one thing that could be universally agreed on, it was that moving to a new place is never an easy thing for someone, especially when they have no idea what to expect of where they move; they don't know what it'll be like, what there will be to see and do, the kind of people that live there that they'll meet and most importantly, whether or not they'll come to enjoy living in a different place far away from where they used to live. It also becomes even harder when they have to move somewhere else because of the job a certain family member has in said place. But sometimes, the best experiences can come out of making said transition in life. This was especially true for one certain thirteen year old girl: May Maple.

May and her family consisting of herself and her parents, Norman and Caroline, had always lived in Johto with their home being in the port city known as Olivine City, also known as the area of ships and sealine transportation across the region. However, there was only one issue: Norman had recently moved to Hoenn due to his position as the Gym Leader of Petalburg City, which prevented him from spending much time with his family. In order to accommodate this change, Caroline decided that she and May were going to move there as well, having found residence in a small area known as Littleroot Town, which also happened to be the hometown of their close friend, Professor Birch.

At the moment, a large moving truck that was dark brown with a light brown stripe streaking down the side was driving down the path leading towards Littleroot Town and was beginning to turn a corner. Inside the truck was an assortment of brown cardboard boxes filled with stored items and essentials, dark brown cupboards that were held down with straps and a small Azurill doll sitting in one of the corners. There was also one passenger sitting in the back with all of the boxes and other items that were stored inside, and that was none other than May herself, who had keeping herself occupied by searching through the features of her PokeNav, which looked like a small portable handheld which was light yellow and white with a pale blue button on the centre. She could hear the truck turning outside and let out a cry of alarm as she grabbed hold of one of the boxes beside her so she wouldn't get tossed around. Once she was certain that the truck had finished turning the corner, she let out a sigh of relief before showing an expression of annoyance as she once again made herself comfortable sitting on the floor, or at least, as comfortable as she could get with this arrangement. "I don't believe this… Why couldn't Mum have let me come with her when she left? Instead, I'm stuck sitting in here where it's pitch black and I can't see a thing, I'm surrounded by all these boxes and I have to deal with all the bumps and turns we make on the road!" After she was finished with her slight venting of her frustration, May let out a quiet sigh as she placed her PokeNav back inside her bag before resting her arms against her legs; it seemed that she still had a while to go before they arrived at Littleroot Town.

While it wasn't visible due to the pitch blackness in the back of the moving truck, May had shining sapphire blue eyes, dark brown hair that hung down both sides of her head in two pigtail-like sections and she was dressed in a dark red sleeveless t-shirt with a black singlet underneath, white short shorts, short black bike shorts underneath, pale yellow running sneakers with black on both sides, bright orange on the top and soles and a bright red bandana tied around her hair with two white stripes in the centre. She also had a pale yellow bag with a black buckle strapped around her waist and she wore a necklace with a golden cross around her neck. As May quietly sat on the floor listening to the sound of the moving truck's wheels scraping across the road, she lifted her head up as she placed her hands against her knees, apparently lost in her own thoughts. "I hope Hoenn will turn out to be a good experience…"

Despite enjoying the time that she had spent in Johto for a good amount of her life, there was one thing May preferred to keep to herself: she wasn't a very big fan of Pokemon, unlike her friends back in Olivine City who always talked about how excited they were to start their journey when the time came. In contrast, all May looked forward to when it came to starting her journey was getting to see the world and experiencing everything it had to offer. As May was silently recollecting all of those thoughts to herself, she rested her hands against the floor and turned her glance up to the truck's roof.

"I wonder if… maybe this could be a new start for me. Maybe moving to Hoenn will give me a chance to see things I never got to before." With a small smile beginning to show on her face, May reached down under her t-shirt and lifted out her necklace, tracing a finger on the cross as it was rested comfortably on her chest; the necklace was a gift from her parents when she was little and she made sure to wear it every day, since it was something precious to her and it also helped represent the faith she kept close to her heart. "I wonder if that's what You have planned for me, because if it is… I'll be sure to make the most of it." Feeling her smile grow in size, May placed a hand under the cross before cupping it, holding it closer to her. It seemed that whatever was planned for her, it would be exciting.

Suddenly, the sound of the truck's brakes being applied could be heard from outside and before May had a chance to react, she was thrown forward as the truck came to a stop, leaving her to fall forward and land on the floor face-first. After a few moments, May slowly raised her head and began to rub it to make sure she hadn't hurt it too badly, and she let out a sigh of dismay as she began to sit up. "Okay… not off to a great start, I think." Once she was certain that everything on her body was still accounted for, May managed to stand up and rub her hands against her shorts to brush any dirt that might be stuck on them, and then she was met with a surprise as the back doors of the truck began to slowly swing open, allowing the sunlight from outside to flow in and illuminate the truck's interior. As May watched in surprise, she felt her eyes dilute before she instinctively shut them tight and raised her hands in front of her hands; with how long she had spent sitting in the back of the moving truck, it wasn't surprising that she would have trouble adjusting to the sudden burst of sunlight. Thankfully, after a few seconds passed, May slowly opened her eyes, with her eyesight having adjusted to seeing daylight again and turned her glance to look outside, and a smile of excitement crossed her face upon realising that they had finally stopped; that meant they had arrived at their destination.

"Oh, we're finally here! I thought it would take longer for us to arrive." Without a moment to spare, May walked over to the end of the truck that led outside, as she had been sitting in the far back during the drive, and once she saw that the doors were fully open, she hopped out of the back with her feet landing safely on the soft pale green grass. Once she was outside, she slowly looked around at her surroundings; the small area around her consisted of two small houses not too far apart from each other as well as a building that could be located near the end of the small area. As May looked at her surroundings, an expression of awe began to cross her face.

"Wow… so this is Littleroot Town. It certainly lives up to the little part of its name. But… it feels like a nice change from how busy Goldenrod City was." Just then, she felt a small gust of wind blowing in her direction and her gaze turned to notice a few small leaves drifting by her on the winds, leaving her to show a smile of awe. She then turned her glance upwards to notice the clouds drifting by in the clear blue sky and an expression of surprise crossed her face as she caught sight of something soaring through the sky, leaving a white cloud stream behind it, not unlike the ones used by skywriters. As May watched in surprise, only one question escaped her lips.

"What could that be?"

While she was keeping her attention on the mysterious figure soaring through the skies above her, she didn't notice that a middle-aged woman was stepping outside from the house on the right and closing the door behind her as she did so. The woman in question had light brown hair that was tied up in two pigtails, violet coloured eyes and she was wearing a light yellow shirt with a white stripe covering her shoulders, a dark brown sash covering her belly, a deep red skirt with a bright orange flame pattern on the side, white high-heeled sandals, a pair of light pink spherical earrings and a cross necklace that looked just like May's with the exception of it being shining silver: it was none other than May's mum, Caroline. As she had just finished closing the door behind her, she turned her head to notice May looking up at the sky and a smile of delight crossed her face at the fact that her daughter had made the long drive without much trouble. With this, she made her way over to where May was standing before raising an arm to give a cheerful wave. "May! You're here at last!"

May nearly jumped in shock at the voice behind her and she spun around immediately to figure who was calling her and a bright smile crossed her face once she was who it was. "Hi, Mum!" With no hesitance, May ran over to Caroline and wrapped her arms around her tightly to which Caroline happily reciprocated. After having been stuck in the back of the truck for what felt like a long time for her, May felt glad to see her mum; it was something she had been looking forward to since the move. After a few seconds, the two let go as May kept her glance up to her mother, and Caroline was the first to speak between the two of them.

"So, May, how was riding all the way here in the moving truck?" Caroline asked. May quickly showed an expression of annoyance; if there was one thing she knew for certain she didn't enjoy, it was the ride into this small town, something that was made all the more apparent as soon as she gave her answer, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Well, let me think: I had to sit in the back with all of the moving boxes, I couldn't see a thing and between all the turns and bumps we had on the way here! How do you think the ride went for me? Now do you know why I said I wanted to come with you when we left?" Once she was finished, May let out a sigh as she was certain Caroline was staring at her in silence at her venting and she showed an expression of dismay before she continued. "I'm sorry about that, Mum. I guess I just didn't have the most comfortable ride here." After a few seconds of silence passed, Caroline showed a comforting smile before she shook her head in understanding; it made sense to her why May was be so upset about the arrangements she made.

"That's okay, honey. I can imagine riding with all the boxes wasn't the best arrangement for you to have. I'm sorry I didn't let you come with me; I just wanted to make sure I found the right place for us before we moved everything here." Caroline reassuringly explained. May simply gave a nod in understanding with a small smile, though she was quietly hoping that this would be the last time she had to deal with that kind of travelling. Once that was cleared up, Caroline showed a smile of excitement before she continued. "Anyway… here we are! This is Littleroot Town, our new home. I know it's a bit on the small size, but it feels like a nice place to live in, don't you think?"

May simply gave a small nod in agreement, since she had taken a bit of time to have a look around at her surroundings; true, it was small, but that didn't feel like a bad thing to her. If anything, it felt like the perfect place to start if she wanted to get used to living in a new region. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's much quieter compared to all the hustle and bustle of Goldenrod City, but… I guess I could use a good change of pace from that. And if anything, this is the best place for just that." As she was speaking, May had turned her head to look out at the small area around her, taking in the sight of the lush green grass under her feet, the near clear blue sky above her and feeling the warmth of the sun's rays over her; it felt a refreshing sight she had no idea she needed, but was enjoying as soon as she got it. She was soon broken out of her thoughts as Caroline spoke again and she turned around to face her, noticing the big smile she was showing.

"I'm so glad to hear that you like it here, May. I had the same thought when I came across this little area myself." She then turned her attention to the small house just behind them, apparently having realised how much time they had spent out here without getting to show May where they would be living. "Anyway, here is our house!"

May slowly made her way over to look at the small residence her mum decided to make their new home in, and needless to say, it wasn't what she was expecting in the slightest. The house looked as though it would only be two stories high and the roof was covered in dark brown tiles, with the front door being the same colour, and the rest of the exterior painted in a light cream colour with one window on the left side of the door. _'Wow… when Mum said that our new home was on the small side, she wasn't kidding. This place is tiny in comparison to the large motel we had in Olivine City…'_ May thought to herself, an expression of surprise having crossed her face upon taking notice of the difference of size between this house and the motel she and her family had back in Johto. After a few seconds of silence, she turned her head to Caroline, who was waiting to hear what May had to say about it. "This is the place?" she asked, pointing to the house in seeming disbelief.

Caroline showed a bright smile before nodding in confirmation. "That's right! It feels like a nice, quaint place for us to live to me." May simply turned her attention back to the small house with nothing but silence; it seemed that she didn't have the same opinion on the place as her mum did. However, that stopped almost immediately when she heard what else Caroline had to say. "And you also get your own room this time, May. Come on, let me show you what it's like inside." With this, Caroline made her way to the front door to open it up so she and May could step inside, with the latter following behind her attempting to register what she just heard.

' _Did… did I just hear that? I get my own room?'_ The moment this seemed to register in May's head, her eyes began to grow wide in delight and a big smile began to cross her face. _'I don't believe it… that… is… amazing!'_ At that moment, May was starting to feel close to jumping up into the air in excitement, feeling beyond thrilled at the face that she would have a room all to herself, but she figured that it would be best to save that for later. As she and Caroline stepped inside the house, May slowly looked around the living room: there was a large wooden table with a light pink tablecloth on top along with four bright green wooden chairs on the outside in the far right corner with a bright pink carpet underneath, the TV and speakers were set up on a white cupboard with the bookshelf next to it, the kitchen had been properly set up with the cutlery sorted into a glass cupboard with an Azurill doll placed on top and the fridge on the far left next to the sink, a small portrait hung on the wall next to the staircase, which apparently led up to the hallway upstairs and a potted plant stood to the right side of the staircase and next to one of the walls with a window viewing outside. As May was looking around the living room in surprise, noticing how everything had been set up in advance before she left, she turned her glance to notice a few Machoke carrying boxes inside and placing them on the floor. _'Looks like those must be the mover Pokemon… I guess that means they're bringing in the last of the items that need to come in.'_

"See, May? Isn't it nice in here too?" May was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when she heard Caroline speak up and she quickly turned to her before nodding in agreement, not wanting to make it seem like she wasn't paying attention. Fortunately, Caroline didn't seem to notice as she stepped forward before turning to May. "The mover company's Pokemon even help with unpacking and cleaning everything up. It really makes moving a lot easier!" Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears and Caroline turned to notice that the Machoke had apparently finished with bringing all the remaining boxes and were ready to leave. Taking notice, Caroline turned to the Machoke and showed a grateful smile. "Thank you; we really appreciate all the help!"

With this, she and May stepped out of the way to allow the Machoke to step outside the door and make their way back to the moving truck. Once they were certain they had gone, May poked her head out the door to watch the moving truck gone before stepping back inside and closing the door behind her. Now that all of that had been taken care of, she looked back at Caroline as the latter looked at her. "Now that everything's been set up, why don't you see what your new room's like, May? I made sure it was all ready for you."

May quickly felt a smile of excitement cross her face as she had been looking forward to this since Caroline mentioned that she had her own room now and she immediately nodded in agreement. "You don't need to tell me twice, Mum! I'll do that right now!" So without a moment to spare, May rushed over to the staircase and began to make her way up the stairs while Caroline watched in surprise before showing an amused smile at May's sudden burst of excitement.

"I know getting May her own room would be a good decision."

With May, she had just arrived at the top of the staircase and was stepping into the small hallway that had two doors; one was her mum's and she had the feeling that the other had to be hers. "Let's see… which one is mine?" As she made her way over to the doors, a bright smile came to her face when she noticed that her mum had taken the precaution of having plaques that had their names on them so they'd know which room was theirs. Once she spotted the door with her name on it, she gave a simple nod in confirmation. "Yep! Looks like this one is mine." With this in mind, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it, and once she swung the door open to go in, she let out a gasp of awe at the sight before her.

The room she was standing in, which happened to be her own, may have been small, but what was inside it more than made up for the lack of space. There was a queen-sized bed on the far-right corner next to the window with a light yellow and pink-striped doona on top and two white pillows, a large wooden desk with a small matching chair was set up at the top right corner, the TV and game console set at the far left just opposite of the bed, a bright pink carpet was placed on the floor with a large Lapras doll on top and a couple of dark yellow cushions placed right next to the other window on the left side of the room. May could only stare at the room in silent awe as she slowly stepped towards the centre, apparently taking in the sight around her. "Wow… this is my room. I actually have a room all to myself…" With this realisation having finally sunken in for her, a big smile of excitement crossed May's face and she raised both arms into the air, laughing out a cheerful laugh as she did so. "All right! This is so awesome! I have all of this space to myself!" After a few seconds, she began happily clapping in delight before she figured it would be best to see how everything was arranged and figure out if she liked it the way it had been organised.

With this in mind, she walked over to where the TV and game set had been set up and her gaze fell on where the Lapras doll was placing on the carpet, and she placed one of her fingers under her chin with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm… I think maybe we could move this over so it'd be easier for me to sit on the floor…" With a nod of affirmation, May walked over and placed both hands around the neck of the Lapras doll so she could pull it out of the way before she let go and walked over so she was standing behind it and pushed it into the corner beside the cushions. Once that was taken care of, she placed her hands on her hips and nodded in confirmation. "Ah… that's more like it!" She then looked over at where the desk was placed and walked over to have a look at the small shelves.

"Let's see…" A bright smile came to her face as she seemed to have a few ideas. "This small space would be perfect for my books, that space beside it makes a great fit for my kit." She then looked down at the cupboards that were on the right side of the desk and slid the top one open to have a look at their size, to which she then gave a nod. "Yep, these will have enough space for me to place my clothes and lingerie." Once she was certain she had everything covered, she slid the cupboard back into place. Just then, Caroline's voice reached her ears from downstairs.

"May! Could you come down here for a second?"

May showed an expression of surprise upon hearing her mum's voice and turned her head to the door, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "What could Mum want?" Figuring it was best to find out, May made her way over to the staircase, closing the door behind her as she stepped out of the room, and walked down the stairs before arriving at the bottom to see Caroline waiting for her. "Yeah, Mum? What is it?" She was met with her answer when she noticed a small brown box sitting next to the wall with her name written on the side.

"I almost forgot to mention that your things are in here. You can bring them up to your room so you can make sure everything's all set up." Caroline explained, placing a hand on top of the box as she spoke. May looked down at the box in surprise; it seemed that she had forgotten all of her things are placed into a separate box so they would make sure nothing she had got left behind. After a few seconds, May turned to Caroline and nodded in understanding.

"Oh, that's right. Thanks, Mum. I'll take care of that right now." May replied. She then bent down to pick up the box in her arms and made her way back upstairs to head back to her room and once she was inside, she walked over to the centre of the room and placed the box down on the floor, standing up and rubbing her arms once she did so. "Whew… that was a bit heavy. I guess I had more things to bring with me than I thought." Once she was certain that her arms didn't hurt anymore, May knelt down so she could open the box lid up and get all of her items out. "All right, time to get started on setting up!"

The first items to be taken out were her books, including a few of her favourite novels, a notebook she took with her in case she needed to take down any notes, her laptop and her Bible which she made sure she took everywhere with her; after all, she had had it with her ever since she was little. Once she was certain she had all her books out, she walked over to the desk to start placing them on the left side shelf and her notebook and laptop went on the desk. "Right, now that that's taken care of, time to get started on the big items." With this, she walked back to the box and reached inside to grab out two important items: a map of the Hoenn Region and a clock that her dad gave her to celebrate the move, both of which would be hung on the wall beside her desk. With one item in each hand, she walked over to the wall to hang them up; fortunately for her, Caroline had made sure that a nail was set up so she could hang them up without any trouble. First, she made sure to place the clock leaning against the deck so she could hang the map up, and once that was taken care of, she picked the clock up and hung it on the wall just beside the map. As May stepped back to have a look at how the results turned out, she could see that the clock wasn't moving.

"Looks like I'll need to set the time first…" With this, she grabbed the clock off the wall and slowly turned the arrows on it to show the proper time: 10:38am. Once that was done, May showed a bright smile before placing the clock back on the wall. "That's better. Now then, what else do I need to take care of?" After taking a few seconds, May clicked her fingers as a bright smile crossed her face. "Oh, that's right! Time to start putting everything into the right place!" Without a moment to spare, she rushed back over to the box to grab out the remaining items: her extra clothes, lingerie and her kit that was filled with her personal special items. Once she was certain all of her remaining things were removed, she walked over to the desk to sort things out, placing the kit on the right side shelf, her lingerie into the top cupboard and her bundle of extra clothes into the middle and bottom cupboards.

"Ah… looks like everything is all set up and ready." May commented, dusting off her hands with a content smile at how she had organised everything. Letting out a yawn, May reached over to grab one of her novels from the left shelf and walked over to the bed. "Now there's nothing to relax and enjoy one of my favourite books." She then bent down to take off her sneakers and place them beside her bed before making herself comfortable lying on her back, placing her head down against one of the pillows and opened her book up to the first page.

The book in question she was reading was called Beyond Your Appearance, a story about two lovers who came to understand what it meant to love each other for who they were, not their appearance. As May turned the page, she let out a happy sigh. "I never get tired of this story: watching those two realise that their appearance doesn't matter and what really matters is loving each other for who they are… it always leaves me with a big smile." If there was one thing May was a sucker for, it was romance. May loved romantic stories and she also liked to help people with their romantic situations and she wrote her own love stories in her notebook in her spare time. Back in Johto, her friends joked that with her expertise with romance, she'd be able to find a boyfriend of her own before she knew it. Of course, May never really took them seriously since she knew they were being silly.

"I know they never really meant anything when they said that, but… imagine how amazing it would be if they were right." May murmured to herself, her focus on her book drifting as this thought started to swirl around in her head. After a few seconds, she closed the book and placed it down beside her, letting out a sigh as a small smile crossed her face. "If I could find someone here in Hoenn I'd be able to share my heart with, and have them do the same for me, that would be a dream come true…" She then slowly closed her eyes and placed her hands over her heart, resting them on where her necklace could be found under her t-shirt, with those thoughts spinning around in her head of having that dream become a reality.

"May! May, come quickly!"

All of a sudden, May found herself snapped back into reality at the sound of her mum's voice, and judging from the urgent tone, it sounded like it was something important. With no hesitance on her part, she jumped up from the bed and rushed off to hurry downstairs, forgetting that her sneakers were still beside the bed where she left them. As she arrived at the bottom of the staircase, May turned her head to notice that Caroline had the TV turned on and she showed an expression of worry. "Mum, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Caroline turned to notice that May had arrived downstairs and pointed to the TV as she was sitting on one of the chairs. "They're showing an interview at the Petalburg Gym. Maybe your dad will be on!" With an expression of surprise crossing her face, May rushed over to have a look at the TV screen, but unfortunately, it seemed they had just finished up as only the interviewer was present.

"We brought you this report live from the Petalburg Gym. Up next, we'll have a special look at a long-awaited meteor shower in the next star show…" May showed an expression of fascination at the hearing of a meteor shower taking place, but Caroline let out a sigh of disappointment upon seeing that the interview was over and reached over to grab the remote as it was on the table beside her.

"It sounds like they're already finished. I think your dad was on, but we just missed his part." As she was about to turn the TV off, May reached a hand out to stop her.

"Hold on a second, Mum! I want to hear what they have to say about the meteor shower." May then walked over to pull a chair out for herself and sat down so she could watch the screen for herself; while she preferred not to pay attention to the news, this was something she felt she couldn't ignore. As May watched the screen, she showed a smile of awe as the video image of a meteor shower appeared on a screen, displaying a clear starry night sky with various small meteors drifting across the sky like falling starlight. "Wow… that is beautiful. Imagine how amazing it would be to see something like that up close. I know that's something I'd absolutely look forward to!" May happily commented, clasping her hands together in delight.

Caroline turned to May with a bright smile as she was listening to what she had to say before she nodded in agreement. "I know. I still remember the day your father and I saw a meteor shower just like that one. It would be wonderful to be able to see it again." As May kept her attention on the screen with an awestruck smile, Caroline looked down to think for a few moments before something she had forgotten about suddenly crossed her mind. "Say, May, that reminds me. Do you remember how I told you about how your dad's friend lives here too?"

May looked over at Caroline in surprise before she figured out who she was talking about. "You mean Professor Birch?" she asked. Caroline showed a bright smile before nodding in confirmation.

"That's right. He and his family live right next door to us. I think it would be great if you went over and introduced yourself." Caroline suggested. May nearly jumped in surprise at the suggestion, since she felt like this was coming right out of the blue, but once she started to think about it, it seemed like it made sense. After all, she was new here to Hoenn, and she didn't know Professor Birch like her parents did. Once she had a few seconds to think it over, May looked up at Caroline with a smile and nodded in agreement.

"All right then, Mum. If you think it's a good idea, then I'll go do that right now." So with this, May stood up from her chair and started to make her way over to the front door. However, as she was about to open the door to step outside, Caroline's voice stopped her.

"May, hold on a second!" May turned her head to her mum in surprise wondering what was wrong, and she was met with Caroline pointing down to her feet with an expression of concern. "Are you sure you should be going outside without your sneakers on?"

May simply stared in confusion as she was wondering what her mum was talking about, but once she had a look down, she suddenly understood what she meant: she had completely forgotten that her sneakers were still upstairs in her room. With an embarrassed smile crossing her face, May began to rub the back of her head. "Oh yeah… that's right… I better take care of that." As she let out a nervous laugh, May made her way over to the staircase so she could head up to her room and grab her sneakers which were still beside her bed.

A little later, May had finally stepped outside with her sneakers now safely on her feet and she had just closed the door behind her. Once that was taken care of, May let out a quiet sigh to herself. "Wow, that was so embarrassing. I can't believe I was about to leave without my shoes on! That wouldn't have made such a good first impression, me coming inside with grass on the bottom of my socks." At that moment, May could feel her face turning red just imagining that possibility, but it quickly returned to its natural skin colour as a smile of relief crossed her face that that didn't happen. "But it's a good thing Mum stopped me before I did that." As she took a few steps forward, she started to look around to see if she could find where Professor Birch's house was and her gaze quickly fell on the house that was right across from her own. "Ah, there's the place. Mum did say that they're right next door from us, after all."

So with this in mind, May made her way over to the house and had a look down at the sign beside it to see that it read 'Professor Birch's house'. "Looks like this is the right place." May commented, nodding in certainty that she had the right house. As she approached the front door, May stood there silently as she felt an expression of uncertainty cross her face. _'All right, this shouldn't be too hard. All you need to do is step in there and introduce yourself. That's the easiest thing in the world to do…'_ Even as this thought was starting to circle in May's mind, there was also a lingering uncertainty that was starting to build in her head: what if they weren't very welcoming? Since she knew that her parents were friends with Professor Birch, she was hoping they would be friendly, but what if that wasn't the case? As she was starting to feel anxiety building up inside her, May quietly took a deep breath and let it out before closing her eyes and reaching to hold the cross on her necklace; she knew just the way to deal with her nerves.

' _Lord, I need You now. My anxieties threaten to get the better of me and stop me from making myself at home in this new town. But even in my moments of doubt, I know You will never let me go. Help me overcome my uncertainties and welcome this new region with the same excitement and joy as I did in my old home. In Your Name I pray, amen.'_ Upon finishing her prayer, May began to feel her uncertainty fade away and a smile of relief crossed her face as she let out a quiet sigh before she opened her eyes and turned her glance up to the door just in front of her. "All right, let's do this." With no hesitance, May placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it to open the door and let her inside. As she stepped into the house, she looked around to find how similar it looked to her place with an expression of surprise. "Wow… it looks almost exactly like our house. It's honestly a bit surprising."

As May was looking all around the interior, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from the kitchen and she was met with a young woman with short dark brown hair and she was wearing a dark brown dress with white spots all around it with a white apron on top along with matching dark brown shoes. There was silence for a few moments between the two for a few moments before May was the one to break it. "Uh… hi there. It's nice to meet you."

The woman looked at her in surprise before a welcoming smile showed on her face, something that allowed May's nerves to ease quite a bit. "Oh, hello there! You must be Norman and Caroline's daughter, correct? It's very nice to meet you. My name's Brenda."

May felt a bright smile at the warm welcome she was receiving and she nodded in agreement before giving her reply. "Yes, that's right! I'm May. My mum and I just moved next door today."

Brenda showed a smile of delight upon hearing this before nodding in understanding. "Oh, so you and Caroline just arrived today, then? Welcome, May! I'm sure Brendan will be thrilled to meet you." As May was listening, she showed an expression of puzzlement as she was starting to wonder who Brenda was talking about.

"Brendan?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement. Brenda gave a chuckle at May's confusion before she figured that maybe she should explain so May knew who she meant.

"Brendan's our son and he's the same age as you. He's been really excited about having a new neighbour. I think he'll be happy to meet you. Why don't you go introduce yourself? He's up in his room right now." Brenda suggested.

May turned her attention over to the staircase with an expression of surprise crossing her face as she began to think to herself. _'Brendan, huh? That does sound very much like a boy's name. And if he's been as excited to meet me as Mrs. Birch said, I bet he'll be in for a surprise when he finds out that a girl happens to be his next-door neighbour…'_ With this thought circling in her head, May gave a nod in confirmation as she knew what she was going to do and she looked over at Brenda before nodding in agreement. "Okay; I'll go see him right now. Thanks!" So without a moment to spare, May began to make her way up the staircase while Brenda watched with a smile of delight, thrilled to hear how excited May was to meet her son.

With May, she didn't take long to find herself arriving at the top of the staircase and she began to look around the room noticing how similar it looked to hers, with the exception of the placement of the bed and the colour of the doona and the carpet near the TV. _'Now then… where could Brendan be?'_ May turned her glance to the centre, and she was met with her answer as she found herself staring directly at a boy who looked to be the same age as her with slightly darker coloured skin, dark brown hair, grayish coloured eyes and he was wearing a white beanie hat, a crimson red t-shirt with black sleeves, black shorts, short grey leggings underneath and bright green sneakers with white on the front and centre along with a matching green bag strapped around his back with the belt fitted around the front of his shirt. From the looks of it, he had just finished adjusting his beanie and was looking over some important notes he had taken down in his notebook, and he nodded with a bright smile before adjusting his bag so it was comfortably around his neck.

As May looked at Brendan, she was silent for a few moments before a silent gasp of awe escaped her lips. _'That's… Brendan?'_ After a few moments passed, a smitten smile began to slowly show on her face as she felt her heart begin to swell in her chest. _'He… he looks so handsome. I've only just met him, but… this must be what love at first sight feels like…'_ While she was lost in her lovestruck trance, she didn't seem to hear Brendan speak as he was making sure he had everything packed with him before he was ready to go.

"All right, let's see. My Pokemon are fully restored, my items are all packed and…" As he turned his attention to the staircase so he could make his way down, an expression of surprise came to his face when he saw May standing there with a big smile and he made his way over to her with an expression of puzzlement. "Hey, uh… who are you?" He was met with no answer as May continued to stare at him with that big smile on her face, and he stared in confusion for a few moments before waving a hand in front of her face to try and get her attention. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

After a few moments, May rapidly blinked in surprise upon realising that Brendan was trying to get her attention and she shook her head rapidly before a nervous smile came to her face. "Oh! S-sorry about that. I must have gotten lost in my own thoughts for a few moments there." She then let out a nervous laugh as Brendan simply watched in confusion, seemingly wondering if there was something wrong with this girl. After a few moments, May seemed to recover as she stopped laughing before turning her attention back to Brendan with a bright smile crossing her face. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you. My name's May. I'm your new neighbour!"

"May…?" Brendan was silent for a few moments to think it over before it clicked in his head. "Oh, so you're the one who moved in next door?" May happily gave a nod in confirmation, to which Brendan showed a bright smile before holding a hand out to her. "Well, it's great to meet you, new neighbour! I'm Brendan."

May showed a smile of excitement upon seeing that Brendan looked just as thrilled to meet her as Brenda described before reaching over to shake his hand, figuring it would be best to let her earlier behaviour go unmentioned for now; she didn't want to make a fool out of herself in front of Brendan, especially since she had just met him. "I already know your name. Your mum told me about who you are. She said that you were looking forward to seeing me?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Brendan replied, nodding excitedly. He then looked over at May with an expression of surprise, apparently taking notice of who she was now. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to be a girl. Dad… uh, I mean, Professor Birch, told me that you were moving next door to us, so I was kind of hoping you'd be a boy."

May showed an expression of shock at this statement before it was replaced with an annoyed glare as she placed her hands on her hips, evidently looking not too thrilled with what Brendan had just said. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying it's a bad thing your neighbour happens to be a girl? Because I don't like that tone!"

Brendan felt his eyes go wide in alarm upon seeing that May was looking upset with what he just said, not that he blamed her for it, and he raised his hands up near his face and started to shake them as he began to try and clarify what he said. "N-no! No, I didn't mean it like that at all! It's just that… I didn't expect to have a girl as my new neighbour. Not that it's a bad thing, far from it. It's just… it was kind of unexpected, you know what I mean? I mean, let's be honest here: wouldn't you be surprised if you got a neighbour who just happened to be your opposite gender?" Fortunately, his attempt at explaining himself seemed to be successful as May lowered her hands to her sides and the expression of annoyance started to drop from her face, and then she turned her glance up to think it over.

"Well… I guess that's true. When you put it like that, yes, that would be a bit of a shock." May commented. Brendan felt a smile of relief cross his face seeing that May understood what he was trying to say, but it nearly dropped when he heard what else she had to say. "Next time, though, try to explain what you mean when you say something like that. It's not a good idea to accidently insult someone you meet, especially if you're trying to be friends with them, which, for the record, is all I want for the time being." May quickly felt her eyes go wide in alarm upon realising what she had just said and she felt her red quickly begin to turn bright red. "N-not that I like you or anything. I mean, we've just met, so how crazy is that?" She then let out a nervous laugh before she felt an expression of embarrassment cross her face. _'I can't believe I really just said that in front of him! I was really hoping I wouldn't make a fool out of myself, but now he probably thinks I'm crazy or something…'_

Fortunately, it seemed that she didn't need to worry as Brendan looked at her in surprise for a few moments before nodding in understanding. "Don't worry, May; I'll keep that in mind." May let out a quiet sigh of relief at the fact that her embarrassed outburst went unheard and she showed a bright smile in response. After a few seconds passed, Brendan clicked his fingers as he had an idea. "Hey, I know! May, you probably don't have a Pokemon of your own, right? How about I catch one for you to make it up to you for what I said?"

May showed an expression of surprise at this offer and she looked down in uncertainty as she began to rub one of her arms. _'He really wants to do that for me? I mean, it really is nice of him, but I don't think he knows that I'm not very of Pokemon.'_ Deciding that it would best to tell him and get it over with, May let out a quiet sigh before turning her glance back up to Brendan. "Thanks for the offer, Brendan. But… the thing is, I…"

As May was about to continue, Brendan's eyes went wide in alarm as he realised that there was something he had to do that he had completely forgotten about. "Oh, wait… I was supposed to help my dad look for wild Pokemon on Route 103…" He then turned his attention back to May with a small smile crossing his face. "I better get moving, May. Maybe next time I'll take care of that. See you!" With this, he walked past May and began to make his way down the staircase while she simply stared in silence, trying to register that.

After a few moments of silence on her end, May was finally able to give her reply. "O-okay. See you later, Brendan." Once she was certain that he was at the bottom of the staircase, she turned around before letting out a sigh she had been holding in this whole time with an expression of dismay. _'Well, that could have gone better…'_ She then raised her head as she felt a bright smile cross her face. _'But nonetheless, he does seem like a nice boy, except for that remark he made about me. But he did say he didn't mean anything hurtful by it, so I'll let it slide. He certainly is adorable getting all embarrassed like that. Maybe if I get to know him, we could become better friends over time and then maybe…'_ May let out a happy sigh as she felt her smile growing brighter thinking about the boy she had just met. _'Maybe then it'll be the perfect time to tell him.'_

She then shook her head, figuring that now wasn't the right time to worry about that. "Well, it's probably too soon to start thinking about that. Right now, I need to see if I can find Professor Birch." So with this, she turned and started to make her way down the staircase, wondering where she could find the professor.


End file.
